This invention relates to methods of treating human hair, and more particularly to a method of providing a permanent wave in human hair.
Various methods of treating hair with chemicals and heat to produce a permanent hair wave are known to beauticians. As is well known in the art, hair is stretched in the permanent waving process, and fixed into a new "permanent" position with the aid of an alkaline waving solution, curling "rods" and heat. One such method includes first shampooing to clean the hair, sectioning and wrapping the hair on the rods, and then applying the permanent waving solution. Since hair is composed chiefly of elongated epidermal cells covered by a cuticle of flat imbricated cells, the alkalinity of the waving solution aids in opening the hair cuticles so that the sulfur bonds of the cystine linkages which bridge the long peptide chain molecules of the elongated epidermal cells may be broken. Once broken, sufficient altering and rearrangement of the cystine sulfur linkages is capable of producing permanent set in the hair.
The permanent wave solution may be of the endothermic type which requires heat from a hair dryer, the exothermic type which liberates heat after its application, or the "cold wave" type wherein only the body heat from the head is utilized during the treatment. The wave solution is then allowed to remain on the hair for between about 5 to 30 minutes depending upon the type of wave solution. The hair is thus shaped into a desired wave or curl depending upon the size and shape of the rods.
After it has been determined that the hair has accepted the wave, the hair is water rinsed, towel blotted and a neutralizer or acid solution is applied to close the hair cuticles. The hair is then once again water rinsed and the rods are removed. The permanent wave is thus complete and the hair may be styled as desired.
Another method of treating hair to produce a permanent hair wave is described in Volume III, Number 1 of The Nexus Herald published by Nexus Products Company of Santa Barbara, Calif. In this treatment a solution sold under the trade designation EPITOME is applied to the hair after the permanent wave solution has been applied and the curl is complete but before the neutralizer solution is applied. The EPITOME solution, however, makes the hair very brittle so that if a rod or curler is removed or readjusted during this phase of the treatment that portion of the hair may be completely broken off.
It is thus desirable to provide a permanent hair wave treatment that will not cause the hair to become excessively brittle during treatment and will be long lasting.